


Together

by Twi_Writes_Sometimes



Category: The Old Guard (Movie 2020)
Genre: Comfort, Cuddles, Established Relationship, F/F, Flirting, Fluff, Forgiveness, Found Family, Implied/Referenced Torture, It get's better, M/M, Nightmares, Violence, idk all the violence and stuff is short but there, so many cuddles, the gang's all here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:29:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27582746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twi_Writes_Sometimes/pseuds/Twi_Writes_Sometimes
Summary: It's been a hundred years and this is the first night Booker is back with his family.
Relationships: Andy | Andromache of Scythia & Quynh | Noriko, Joe | Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicky | Nicolò di Genova
Comments: 4
Kudos: 95





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading friends! I hope you enjoyed, feedback is always welcome.

It was the first night of having Booker back from exile. He was trying to figure out where he stood after so long and the rest of them were doing there best to make him feel welcome. After all, he had served his sentence without complaint even after Quynh had left him to stay with Andy. He had really cleaned up his act and was still working on being better.

Nicky and Nile were making hachis parmentier, french onion soup, and cherry clafoutis for dessert all on honor of Booker's return home.

"Nicky, if you were a fruit you'd be a fineapple." Joe teased popping another cherry in his mouth.

Nicky grinned, narrowing his eyes thinking of the perfect response. "And if you, Joe, were a vegetable you'd be a cutecumber."

Joe barked out a laugh, closing the distance between the two of them and wrapped his arm around Nicky's waist. "Is that right?" He cocked an eyebrow. "You think I'm..." He paused biting his lip seductively. "Cute?"

Nicky's eyes sparkled with delight at his husband's reaction. "It's crossed my mind on occasion." Nicky wiped a smear of flour on Joe's nose.

"Ok, that's enough flirting. Save it for after the meals done please." Nile interjected when she realized they would do this all night if she didn't put her foot down. "Nicky has work to do and you aren't helping one bit." She pulled Joe's arm off Nicky and started pushing him toward the dining room.

Joe gasped in mock surprise and let her push him out of the room, out of the corner of his eye he saw her trying not to laugh she was in just as high of spirits as the rest of them.

Booker, Andy and Quynh sat around the table playing some blackjack before dinner.

The kitchen and dining room were connected so they all could see and hear everything that was going on.

"I see nothing's changed?" Booker smirked keeping his eyes on his cards. He was trying not to show it too much, but oh he'd missed his family. Absence really does make the heart grow fonder.

Andy chuckled. "Never."

"Joe, you can join us." Quynh patted the seat next to her.

He accepted and sat down finding himself kitty corner with Booker.

Booker in the short time he'd been back was still walking on eggshells around Joe and Nicky. He knew they had forgiven him but he was being cautious all the same. He wouldn't blame them if they had any hard feelings.

Joe had mixed emotions about Booker being back. His betrayal still stung but he was happy with how far Booker had come. The truth was he had missed him, sometimes more than he cared to admit, so he was doing his best to let bygones be bygones, it would just take a little getting used to having him back.

They played a few more rounds before Nile came out of the kitchen carrying food. "Dinner is served!"

Quynh jumped up and ran to the kitchen to help carry everything over.

Joe went and got drinks and cups, while Andy cleaned up the game.

It took no time and they were all sitting around the table with the food steaming in front of them.

Nicky smiled at everyone's anticipation, taking in his family's warm energy. "Dig in."

"Oh babe, you've outdone yourself." Joe said closing his eyes and savoring the hachis parmentier.

"Hey now, Nile helped too." Nicky said.

"Nile, this is outstanding." Joe grinned ear to ear at her.

"Thanks, it was fun. This was my first time making it and Nicky helped a lot."

"Well I would have never guessed you hadn't made it a hundred times before." Quynh chimed in.

"How does our French guest of honor feel they did?" Andy asked Booker.

Booker had been touched, even moved, when Nile told him they had picked out some of his favorite dishes for dinner tonight. He had offered to help but Nile and Nicky would hear none of it. 'Perhaps tomorrow' Nicky had teased.

"It is..." He shook his head a little, almost as if he was in disbelief. "The best I've ever had."

Nile beamed, and Nicky happily took another bite. They were both glad their efforts had turned out so well.

They talked and they laughed, told stories about their time spent apart, teased and joked. It was wonderful getting back to a new normal.

"Here I'll get the dishes." Booker volunteered after dessert.

"Someone's on their best behavior." Andy teased.

Booker wasn't sure how to respond, he really was still trying his best to make amends.

"Hey." Andy saw his hesitation and grabbed his arm so he would look at her. "I'm glad your back Book."

Almost as a reflex his eyes darted to Joe and Nicky, but there wasn't anything unpleasant in their expressions. "I'm glad to be back." He said refocusing on Andy.

"I'll put the food away if you've got dishes." She patted his arm before getting to work.

Quynh helped as well with cleanup while the other three went into the living room to pick out a movie.

"No horror, not tonight." Joe said.

Nile grabbed the remote before they could. "But I love horror movies." Nile grinned an evil grin. She knew Joe could only take so much before he was out, even with Nicky holding him. "What are you feeling Nicky?"

Nicky shrugged. "Maybe something funny?"

Nile nodded her head. "Hmm, a comedy does sound pleasant." She agreed.

Joe squeezed Nicky's hand so Nile wouldn't see, grateful for the light-hearted suggestion.

Quynh came into the room and saw Nile scrolling through the comedy section. "Nice." She liked watching almost anything so long as there weren't people drowning. Nile could always talk her into watching horror movies unlike the rest of them who were more hit or miss.

Quynh looked at the seating arrangements, and thought for a moment. "This won't do, Nicky will you be a dear and come help me?"

Nicky didn't even ask, just followed her out of the room.

They came back a few minutes later with an armful of comforters and pillows. She began making a pile on the floor against the couch so they could lean on something and Nicky dropped his armful of blankets and pillows where she directed.

"There are too many of us to sit comfortably on the couch, we'll have to improvise." She stood back to admire her handiwork.

Joe chose a spot and pulled Nicky down beside him so he could lay his head on Nicky's shoulder.

Nile curled herself almost into a ball and rested her head on a pillow on Nicky's lap. "What about one of these three?" She asked.

The rest of them read the descriptions.

"The one with the cruise ship." Nicky suggested.

"I second that." Joe said.

"Sounds good to me." Quynh added. "We're gonna start the movie!" She yelled to the slowpokes in the kitchen.

Andy came around the corner followed closely by Booker.

He paused, trying to decide where to sit among all the blankets.

"Don't be shy." Andy said guiding him over to where Quynh was sitting pressed up against Nile.

Quynh pulled him down so he was sitting right next to her and Andy sat down on her lap and rested against Booker's shoulder.

"Ready?" Nile asked before pushing play.

She got a chorus of confirmations from everyone and started the movie.

Nicky had been right a comedy was just what everyone needed on a happy day like today. They all enjoyed it and relaxed.

Quynh joked she was going to buy Andy some of the ugly outfits the characters were wearing.

At one point Nile had to sit up because she and Nicky were laughing so hard at one of the jokes.

Booker and Joe had a debate on how long someone could live on a cruise ship without getting caught by staff.

Andy fell asleep with a fourth of the movie to go.

When it was over they laughed and carried on about some of the jokes and how unrealistic the ending had been.

When the concern died down they all bid each other goodnight going to their rooms.

Nile, relaxed as she was and as tried as she was, still couldn't fall asleep. She finally gave up after two hours and went to the kitchen to get some water.

Andy was already in the kitchen which at this point never surprised Nile.

"Can't sleep?" Andy asked.

Nile shook her head.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Why is it even, on happy days, does it feel like nothing can chase away the dark?" Nile asked taking a drink of her water.

Andy studied her for a moment. "The last job still bothering you?"

Nile swallowed hard and looked down at the floor. "I know it probably shouldn't, but yeah."

Andy gently lifted Nile's chin. "I wasn't asking you to justify anything Nile. I'm asking if you're ok." She said kindly.

Nile sighed. "I guess the answer is no."

Andy pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry."

The last job had gone all wrong. The person they were trying to rescue was killed before they had made it in, they had to fight there way out through tear gas and ak-47s, Joe had died horribly, Nicky had his face bashed in guarding Joe while he was out, Quynh lost an arm, and that didn't even cover how many bullets they'd all eaten.

No one who had attacked them survived.

It was a terrible job and the noise and confusion still troubled Nile.

It might still haunt some of the others as well but if it did she felt they were better at hiding it.

"Will I ever be able to see that stuff and sleep after?" It has been a hundred years already, her hopes weren't high.

"With a heart as big as yours I doubt it. Believe me, we all struggle with nightmares, your not alone in this. Will it lessen as time goes on? Maybe, probably, but it will never truly go away. That's just the curse we are forced to live with." She kissed the top of Nile's head. "That's probably not the answer you were hoping for."

"You never give me the answers I want to hear." Nile said teasing her.

"But like I said you don't have to face this by yourself. Come sleep with Quynh and I. It helps when you're not alone." Andy took her hand and led her to the room they were sharing.

Quynh was asleep and didn't wake up when Andy laid down next to her. Nile laid down next to Andy and they were both out in no time.

Around three in the morning Nicky woke up to the sound of a shout. His hand flew to his gun and he pressed into Joe feeling him at his back to make sure he was safe.

He'd recognize that cry anywhere and jumped up running straight to Booker's room.

He kept a sharp lookout for any intruders in the house and swung Booker's door open while keeping as much of his body hidden behind the door frame as he could.

The lights were still off and he didn't see any signs of something being wrong. With great care he peered around the door and stepped further into the room.

A lamp snapped on and he pointed his gun at an apologetic Booker, who had his hands in the air.

"Ah, Nicky, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to alarm you let alone wake you up, sorry about that, you can go back to bed, I'm alright." Booker was talking fast, trying to get all his words out at once.

Nicky did one more sweep with his eyes around the room before putting his gun down.

By now Joe had made his way down the hall and peered into the room. "All clear?" He asked gun in his hand.

"We're fine." Nicky assured him. "What happened?" Nicky asked turning his attention back to Booker.

"Nothing but a nightmare." He said waving them off, he attempted a small smile but it looked more like a grimace.

Nicky wouldn't budge, there was still the faintest hint of terror in Booker's eyes. He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. "Tell me, if you can." He laid his hand on Booker's arm.

Booker squeezed his eyes shut, and shook his head. He couldn't tell them how he'd tried to do a job and got kidnapped then tortured for nearly two year. How every night for two years he had wished for death more so than usual and knew that neither death nor help was coming. But it still haunted him, tormented his dreams, sometimes he could even feel imaginary pain from the things they did to him. He couldn't tell them, he wouldn't, that was the same fate he had signed them up for and he couldn't bare to live with it if they told him it was karma. He knew it was.

"It's nothing." He whispered, not looking at either of them.

"You don't have to face it alone anymore." Andy said, she had joined Joe by the door and had watched most of the interaction. "You're home Book." She walked over to him and took his hand. "Do these dreams happen often now?"

Booker hesitated he still didn't feel like this should be any of their problem. He wanted to be able to carry this on his own, no matter how heavy the load.

Joe narrowed his eyes, not without kindness, studying Booker. "Be honest."

Booker looked at him, and saw all the concern and sincerity he thought he might never see again. "Nearly every night." He admitted.

None of them were a stranger to night terrors it came with the job, but dealing with them on your own, they haven't had to do that in a long time, they knew how difficult it was.

"Come, join us." Andy gently tugged on his hand. "Nile is already sleeping with us it won't make any difference to add more."

"I-" He started to protest, he couldn't put them out on his first night back, they'd already gone above and beyond for him.

"She's the boss." Joe grinned.

"Don't argue." Nicky added, he was smiling as well.

Booker didn't say anything just stood up to follow her.

Nicky grabbed his pillows and blankets so there would be enough.

Nile and Quynh were both awake when they walked in, Andy had asked them to stay so that Booker wouldn't feel too overwhelmed.

"I'm sorry for waking everyone." Booker said sheepishly.

"Don't give it another thought." Quynh insisted and the rest of them agreed.

Nicky laid his stuff down by Nile but didn't turn to go back to bed just yet.

Nile noticed his thoughtful expression. "You can stay too." She offered squeezing his hand.

Nicky looked over at Joe.

Joe smiled and walked over to kiss Nicky's temple. "Room for two more?" He asked Andy.

"Always."

They weren't exactly sure how, but they got everyone to fit in a comfortable enough pile with Nile and Booker in the middle, surrounded by their family. 

This was safe, this was home, and the nightmares stayed away.


End file.
